Shark Attack - Fact
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I dive in the Galapagos and here, every dive is a shark dive. I stopped thinking of white tipped reef sharks as sharks long ago. We head to Gordon Rocks for the hammerheads. Every dive you hope to see hammerheads and Galapagos sharks. While silkys also abound and can be more curious, I'm yet to see those. Good advice about the hunting and murk. We don't always have the best visibility here, but I can say that I am not aware of any divers attacked by sharks in spite of how many dive with them each and every day. The only shark attacks I've ever heard about in the Galapagos happened to surfers, snorkelers and one guy swimming around cleaning the bottom of a boat.
Perception is an interesting thing because it's not the sharks that scare me, but the macho sea lions. I'm still amazed every time I see a diver on a video reaching out to touch a sea lion while diving. No one would walk down a neighborhood street reaching out to touch the big German Shepherds and yet, that's is the size of a sea lion's teeth. Anyway, the bull males scare me a lot. They can and do bite if guarding their territory and that's all they do for weeks each year is guard their territory and fight for it. I've had hammerheads and macho sea lions at close range underwater, but only the sea lion is scary. I'm more afraid of scaring away the hammerheads with my bubbles (which does scare them away). Sea lions translate bubbles as a sign of agression.
And yet, sea lions are always perceived of as cute, cuddly and harmless. Orcas, too, post free-Willy. I have never liked being on the surface...always did intuitively feel like prey up there. But down under, I'm a part of the environment and to sea life, essentially an unknown part given man's relative short period of time under the sea. So nothing is ingrained in terms of me being an enemy, a meal or anything. I get to determine that by the manner in which I dive. The Galapagos wildlife above land shows you that if you do not threaten, the animals are not afraid. I think that is true underneath the sea here as well as on land. God knows the sheer abundance here means nothing goes hungry.
Night dives are illegal here, but even when they weren't, I never heard of anyone being attacked by the many, many sharks that are always in the water here. Me? I'm not snorkeling around sunset myself. PS...first time I ever went snorkeling in the Galapagos, I swam into a canal with somewhere between 24-30 white-tipped reef sharks, had two swimming beside me on the way out as I tried to keep up with an eagle ray. I truly believe so much is about perception and the rest about common sense.
Perception is an interesting thing because it's not the sharks that scare me, but the macho sea lions. I'm still amazed every time I see a diver on a video reaching out to touch a sea lion while diving. No one would walk down a neighborhood street reaching out to touch the big German Shepherds and yet, that's is the size of a sea lion's teeth. Anyway, the bull males scare me a lot. They can and do bite if guarding their territory and that's all they do for weeks each year is guard their territory and fight for it. I've had hammerheads and macho sea lions at close range underwater, but only the sea lion is scary. I'm more afraid of scaring away the hammerheads with my bubbles (which does scare them away). Sea lions translate bubbles as a sign of agression.
And yet, sea lions are always perceived of as cute, cuddly and harmless. Orcas, too, post free-Willy. I have never liked being on the surface...always did intuitively feel like prey up there. But down under, I'm a part of the environment and to sea life, essentially an unknown part given man's relative short period of time under the sea. So nothing is ingrained in terms of me being an enemy, a meal or anything. I get to determine that by the manner in which I dive. The Galapagos wildlife above land shows you that if you do not threaten, the animals are not afraid. I think that is true underneath the sea here as well as on land. God knows the sheer abundance here means nothing goes hungry.
Night dives are illegal here, but even when they weren't, I never heard of anyone being attacked by the many, many sharks that are always in the water here. Me? I'm not snorkeling around sunset myself. PS...first time I ever went snorkeling in the Galapagos, I swam into a canal with somewhere between 24-30 white-tipped reef sharks, had two swimming beside me on the way out as I tried to keep up with an eagle ray. I truly believe so much is about perception and the rest about common sense.
Does the ISA list the Hammerhead attack as being in Hawaii? I am of the opinion that a photographer who is bit has probably provoked the bite. Takes one to know one
smellzlikefish
Contributor
This wasn't taken in Hawaii, but both the guy who took it and the owner of the camera live here.
I dive with sharks regularly off the coast of NC. It's my main reason for going out there so often. The picture in my avatar is one I took myself and I have been within arms reach a few times. I just mind my own business....same ocean, same day. I've had a couple get a little curious, but for the most part they are not interested in me at all.
somegolfIdive
New
Been diving for 20 years, usually in the Northeast US, but the last 5 exclusively for lobster. I saw a shark in Florida once, 40 yds away and it was beautiful, no fear.
I never saw a shark around Boston until I started carrying a bag of meat and I think that's the difference. Most diving around here would be considered low vis diving; The best I get is 30-40 feet visibility while 40 feet down at high noon.
I dive less than 10 times a season now but I've had two shark sightings (less than 7 ft long) within 20 feet of me, all when I was carrying a bag of lobster meat. I'm SURE there were more close encounters but I'm looking under rocks-I never stare out into the grey looking for shapes. And the lobster in my bag are not quiet, they don't like floating in water so they grab onto each other and pinch to secure themselves. You can hear cracking noises and they probably scream or put off scent or some other distress beacon though I can't sense it.
With low visibility diving I figure the sharks know exactly what I've got long before I see them. And with the rocky terrain and low vis my buddy and I often lose sight of each other so I appear alone and have even less awareness of what's behind me. So when I do see sharks I figure it's beyond their curiosity and the beginning of an attack might be on though I'm not sure of the signs. I've heard if I see a shark to drop the catch bag and swim away, others have said stay upright (have you ever tried to walk backward, upright! with a bag, flag, light, ticklestick etc.)
It would really be helpful to know differences between curiosity and aggression so I know how much trouble I'm in . . before the biting part.
And though I sound flip about this, let me be clear. It scares the !!! out of me to turn around startle and see a shark, above me, with a cold, dead looking eye sizing me up. Yes I warm my wetsuit, and yes I need to understand the risk.
I never saw a shark around Boston until I started carrying a bag of meat and I think that's the difference. Most diving around here would be considered low vis diving; The best I get is 30-40 feet visibility while 40 feet down at high noon.
I dive less than 10 times a season now but I've had two shark sightings (less than 7 ft long) within 20 feet of me, all when I was carrying a bag of lobster meat. I'm SURE there were more close encounters but I'm looking under rocks-I never stare out into the grey looking for shapes. And the lobster in my bag are not quiet, they don't like floating in water so they grab onto each other and pinch to secure themselves. You can hear cracking noises and they probably scream or put off scent or some other distress beacon though I can't sense it.
With low visibility diving I figure the sharks know exactly what I've got long before I see them. And with the rocky terrain and low vis my buddy and I often lose sight of each other so I appear alone and have even less awareness of what's behind me. So when I do see sharks I figure it's beyond their curiosity and the beginning of an attack might be on though I'm not sure of the signs. I've heard if I see a shark to drop the catch bag and swim away, others have said stay upright (have you ever tried to walk backward, upright! with a bag, flag, light, ticklestick etc.)
It would really be helpful to know differences between curiosity and aggression so I know how much trouble I'm in . . before the biting part.
And though I sound flip about this, let me be clear. It scares the !!! out of me to turn around startle and see a shark, above me, with a cold, dead looking eye sizing me up. Yes I warm my wetsuit, and yes I need to understand the risk.
XxLongimanuSxX
Guest
Shark is anice fish
tndash
Registered
Hey somegolf- I too would like to know more about the signs of an impending attack. The only two bits of info I have are very shark specific. If around Bulls, watch out for their backs' arching-even in the distant-can be territorial. Whites-tend to circle a few times before any issue. Sorry-thats all I have.
adurso
Contributor
other signs
ectoral fins down, arched back,wig-wagging movements, show aggression
ectoral fins down, arched back,wig-wagging movements, show aggression
In addition to those, swimming quickly, circling, charging, jerky movements, bumping, swimming back and forth also show aggression.
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